Map shows a temporary public closure in the Magone Lake area of the Malheur National Forest due to logging.

PRAIRIE CITY — The Malheur National Forest has temporarily closed an area near Magone Lake, northwest of Prairie City, to public entry due to logging.

Roads into the lake, a popular summer recreational site that also attracts ice anglers, will be plowed and kept open. However, the presence of log trucks and other equipment pose a safety hazard, so the roads and area will not be open to the public.

Closure signs will be posted on the ground, and a detailed map of the closure will be available on the Malheur National Forest website — www.fs.usda.gov/malheur — and at forest offices.

All roads within the closure area will be closed, except County Road 18 and Forest Road 36.

The closure order continues through April 1, 2024, but it could be rescinded earlier depending on progress on the logging, said Amy Franklin, public affairs specialist for the Malheur National Forest.

The Forest Service sometimes requires that logging be done when the ground is frozen or there is sufficient snow to reduce the amount of ground disturbance from logging equipment.

In the case of the Dixie project near Magone Lane, a Forest Service document states that “Logging operation would occur during frozen soil to a depth of 4 inches or more or enough snow strength and depth to sufficiently prevent disturbance.”